Colorado Springs youth hockey team wraps sticks in blue for Gannon Stauch

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Players for the Colorado Springs Tigers team are wrapping their hockey sticks in blue to show their support for the 11-year-old Gannon Stauch, who has been missing for nearly three weeks.

Tresa Taysom says her grandson, Trey Mendez, wanted to honor the endangered boy from Lorson Ranch.

"We taped our sticks blue because we just want [Gannon] to come home and it's really sad how he went missing and it affects us kids too," Mendez said.

Taysom says she wanted to "affirm that even the youth of our community care about Gannon and are remembering him."

This is the latest show of support by residents in the local community. Hundreds gathered Saturday for an emotional candlelight vigil in Lorson Ranch.

Chase Ziemba, a Tigers hockey player, says the idea caught on to the team within minutes.

"We brought in tape and everyone put it on their sticks," Ziemba said. "We didn't even have to say 'Let's all do this.' It's really cool because hockey is such a tight family."

Mendez's team is one of more than a hundred teams playing locally in a tournament by the Colorado Springs Amateur Hockey Association.

Although the team lost their first game Thursday against the Utah Jr Grizzlies, the coach says these matches will be more meaningful this season.

"Gannon's situation is a heck of a lot more important than what's going out on the ice today," said CS Tigers coach Rorry Hillis. "I mean this is just for fun, but it's a good way for us to bring attention to that and think about the things in life that are really a lot more serious."